What an Agent Does After the Book Contract

Everyone knows agents try to match authors with the appropriate publishing houses and get book deals. My agent, Rachelle Gardner, sent a book proposal to Bethany House Publishers and secured a three book deal for me (read more about it here).

But what happens after the deal is done and the contract signed? What does an agent do then? In other words, are there any other benefits to having an agent besides helping authors get book contracts?

Now that I’m on the other side of the contract fence, I would have to answer, yes, there are a number of other benefits to having an agent besides their expertise in clinching book deals.

Here’s a sample of a what an agent does after the book contract:

1. Supports the writer’s career: It’s a tough, complicated, ever-changing industry, and we can all benefit from having an expert at our side rather than navigating the choppy publishing waters alone. Agents not only get behind our current projects, but they’re looking out for our future ones too. They’re investing in our writing career, not just a book.

Rachelle offers the kind of support that makes me feel like I’m her only client (even though I know she has quite a client load!). Whether with phone calls, emails, or Twitter messages, she’s by my side whenever I need her. When I went to visit my Publishing House in January, she flew out too. She sat in on most of my meetings and supported me every step of the way.

2. Oversees the ongoing details of the contract: An agent helps negotiate the terms of book contracts for authors. But once we sign, that’s only the beginning. The agent helps make sure both sides fulfill their aspects of the contract in a professional and timely manner.

Rachelle keeps tabs on a variety of contract details that I don’t have the inclination or savvy to pay attention to. Advance schedules, due dates for synopses, book cover feedback—she’s right there on the front line helping me handle it all.

3. Promotes the author’s platform: I’m not sure if this is something every agent does. But because Rachelle has such a strong web presence, with thousands of twitter and blog followers, she’s able to give her clients extra boosts of “prime time” attention.

She occasionally hosts clients on her blog and has a link to client books there. On twitter, she shares about client book deals or other exciting news. She sometimes tweets about client blog posts and leaves links. All of this is professionally done and helps us in our efforts to build platforms.

4. Assists in all other writing-related issues: We all know having a writing career involves so much more than simply writing books. Although the writing needs to remain the foundation, other areas demand attention too—marketing, publicity, websites, blogs, etc.

Even though these issues are my primary responsibility, I’ve brainstormed with Rachelle on a couple different occasions recently on how best to proceed. Since she’s familiar with my publishing house and my writing, she’s able to offer the best possible advice to direct me.

My Summary: While not everyone may need or want an agent’s help, I’ve found an incredible sense of security in having an advocate for my writing career. On a professional level my agent works very hard for me. But I’m blessed, because on a personal level, she’s become someone I can talk to about anything.

What do you think? For those who already have agents, what have I missed? What else has your agent done for you? And for those still agent-hunting, what is most important to you in an agent?

5 Ways to Gain an Agent's Attention

The traditional editor slush pile may be near extinction, but the agent slush pile is still alive (See last post). But for how long? Already many agents no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts. And those that still do close their inboxes from time to time because they’re overwhelmingly busy.

Writers bite their fingernails and wonder if it’s possible to even find an agent anymore, much less get into a larger traditional publishing house. Is there hope? And how can a writer increase their chances of getting noticed?

Let me start by saying, yes, there is definitely hope. If an obscure wannabe like me can land an agent and a subsequent book deal with a major publishing house (Baker/Bethany House), then it can happen to anyone. I’m just an average writer and I didn’t have any inside connections to give me a boost.

So, how did I get noticed? How in the wide world of enormous, overflowing slush piles can any author gain an agent’s attention?

1. Write a book that grabs attention. Yes, this seems like a no-brainer, but while many of us want to write heart-grabbers, we don’t always know how or what.

I made myself a student of my genre. I read widely and decided how to approach my stories in a way that was unique from what was already available. If we can find a fresh spin, present a new voice, or develop a gripping plot, then we'll give agents a reason to take a second look at our story.

2. Learn industry standards and be savvy. We can’t crack open the latest Literary Marketplace guide and start sending out manuscripts. Instead we need to spend time familiarizing ourselves with the current market practices, learning standards, reading guidelines, and becoming a part of the pulse of the publishing world.

When someone tells me they’re a writer and then proceeds to ask me how to get published, I always point them to agent blogs. Read past posts, dig deep, learn as much as possible before querying. Agents can smell the difference between those who know their stuff and those who have absolutely no clue. And they don’t have the time to waste on writers heavily laden with the scent of ignorance.

3. Final in a writing contest. This worked for me. After I finaled in the ACFW Genesis contest, I emailed Rachelle Gardner to let her know. My manuscript was already buried in her slush pile, but the final was enough to perk her attention. She dug out my book, looked at it, and called me a day later.

Of course, the larger the contest the better, especially contests that agents and major publishing houses recognize. The book also needs to be finished and already out on submission or at least ready. I’ve seen far too many writers final in contests but not have their books completed and polished in order to take full advantage of that final.

4. Look for ways to introduce yourself to agents. Most agents blog and twitter. Following them not only helps us grow more savvy about the publishing world, but gives us an opportunity to leave comments or respond to tweets. In such interactions, we broaden our web presence, get our names out there, and perhaps eventually gain more than a passing glance.

Writing conferences can also give us access to agents, help them to get to know who we are, and give them a glimpse of our writing. The ten minute appointments may not be much, but combined with all of the above, could work to push us to the top of the slush pile.

5. Last but not least, persevere. When our manuscripts sit in agent slush piles for months, it’s easy to begin to think our books aren’t good enough, or that we’re not cut out for writing. But as I mentioned in the last post, most of us have done our time in the slush pile. We should just expect to languish a long time, and then if we defy the odds, we can consider ourselves blessed.

In the meantime, we need to write another heart-grabber. Agents and editors want to see that we can write more than one book, that we’re not a one-book wonder. And perhaps that second or third book will be the catalyst that pushes our other book out of the slush pile.

What do you think? Can you think of anything else that might help to get the attention of an agent? What do YOU plan to do?

Is the Slush Pile Really Dead?

The Wall Street Journal recently had an article entitled, “The Death of the Slush Pile.” (Jan. 15, 2010) As I read the article, I couldn’t keep from asking, is the slush pile really dead?

The “slush pile” is basically another name for the enormous stacks that used to accumulate on editor desks or floors consisting of unsolicited manuscripts authors would send with the hopes of getting "discovered."

Many years ago, when I first started writing, I remember trudging to the post office with my books and paying to mail them along with a SASE for the dreaded return. I knew my rubber-banded sheets would eventually make their way to a publishing house to a sky-scraper high stack, where they would sit until a harried editor gave them a quick glance.

The Wall Street Journal article said, “Now, slush is dead, or close to extinction.” Most major publishing houses no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts, not even emails. If writers call a publishing house like Simon & Schuster, they’d get an automated message that says something like, “Submissions must come to us via a literary agent due to the large volume of submissions we receive each day.”

The article went on to say the slush pile “has been transferred from the floor of the editor’s office to the attache cases of representatives who can broker introductions to publishing.”

In other words, the slush pile isn’t dead. It’s just moved location—it’s moved to the agent’s office. And not only has the slush pile moved location, it’s also no longer a “pile.” It’s a file, on a hard drive.

So, yes, in the traditional sense, the slush pile is indeed dead. But I want to propose that it’s still very much alive. Those of us querying agents can testify to the reality of the new slush file.

Stephanie Meyer author of Twilight, sent 15 query letters and got 10 rejections. One of those rejections came after she’d already signed with an agent and received a three book deal from Little Brown.

My book, The Preacher’s Bride (releasing in the fall), sat in Rachelle Gardner’s slush file for nearly 9 months. She had requested the full but didn’t pull it from her hard drive until I finaled in the Genesis Contest. Then she read it and subsequently offered me representation.

I’m sure we can all point to countless other examples of manuscripts languishing in slush piles. It still happens all the time. Agents are not only overwhelmed by the numbers of queries they receive, but then struggle to wade through the requested manuscripts that perked their attention.

What does all of this mean for us as writers?

1. Waiting in a slush pile is part of the process. It’s easy to get discouraged when we end up waiting for weeks, even months to hear back from agents. But remember, most of us have done our time in the slush (or are in the process of doing it). Look at it as part of the initiation into a writing career.

2. We can’t let slush piles determine our worth. Just because a manuscript isn’t picked up right away doesn’t mean it won’t go on to be published and have great sales. In other words, the slush pile time has nothing to do with the future success of a book. When our manuscripts sit, we get discouraged and begin to question our writing ability and our books, but we need to remember time in a slush pile is not indicative of our quality.

3. If our stories are good enough, they’ll rise to the top of the pile. . .eventually. Fortunately agents and editors are still looking for talented and well-crafted books. They want to find those gems within the pile. That should encourage us--if we continue to grow in our writing and ability to tell great stories, we’ll get noticed.

What do you think? Is the slush pile really dead? Have you done your time in a slush pile yet? What was your experience?

What to Do When Overwhelmed with Writing & Blogging

One of the most common feelings writers experience is that of being overwhelmed, especially in relation to blogging. We like the connections we make, the encouragement we find, and the many things we learn.

But we may eventually find ourselves overwhelmed by the number of blogs we follow. We find ourselves in a hectic race to simply keep up with repaying visits to those who kindly leave comments on our blog.

On top of that, we struggle to make our writing a priority amidst the demands of all our other life responsibilities. We juggle family, jobs, and outside activities—all the while wishing we could have more uninterrupted writing time.

Soon we find ourselves slipping further down the slide of despair, growing frustrated and unhappy. We throw up our hands and yell, “How can I handle all of this?”

As a mother of five children, one of the most common questions people ask me is, “How do you handle so many children?” Sometimes a parent may even say something like, “I only have two children and it’s hard enough, how can you possibly manage five?”

At first the question threw me off. I’d shrug and reply, “I dunno. It’s not easy, but somehow we manage.” But after years of getting the same question, I think I’ve finally realized one of my “secrets” to survival.

With the exception of my twins, I added one child at a time. In other words, my foray into motherhood came in gradual stages. I had one baby and got all of the first-time mommy-jitters out of my system. Then I had my twin daughters and got even more practice at motherhood.

When my fourth son was born, I’d already built strong mommy-muscles of patience, tolerance, love, and knowledge. I’d grown by leaps and bounds in experience, wisdom, and character. By the time I had my fifth sweet daughter, I’d developed into a much stronger mother than I’d been when I’d had my first.

What’s the point? Several, actually.

1. Take things one step at a time. We can’t look at those ahead of us and think we need to be like them. A writing career, like parenthood, comes in stages. If we jump in and try to handle too much all at once, then we’ll lose out on the process of slowly building the writing muscles that gradually prepare us for what’s to come.

2. Let the hardships push us to become stronger. It’s all too easy to let the difficulties of parenting discourage us and zap the joy from being with our children. And we need to guard against the danger of letting our writing hardships discourage us so much that we lose out on the joy of the creative process as well as the potential for growth.

3. Adjust our expectations. With each child God's given me, I’ve had to adjust my expectations of the cleanness of my house, my free time, or even how much I make for meals. The closer we move toward publication, the more we need to adjust our schedules and priorities so that we have room in our lives for the new responsibilities. Sometimes that means saying no to really good activities, setting boundaries, or sacrificing hobbies and friendships.

What about you? Have you ever been overwhelmed by blogging and writing, finding yourself sliding down into despair? What are ways you keep yourself from hitting the ground hard?

*Part 3 in the series Writer Emotions: Overwhelmed

How Should Writers Handle Praise & Criticism?

As writers we’re on a continual seesaw of ups and downs with the praise and criticism we receive. On the one side we long for affirmation in our writing, but on the other end we want constructive criticism. How can we find a balance with these two conflicting emotions?

The Praise:

We all need validation in our writing. At least I’m constantly craving it. But since writing is very subjective, we often have a difficult time sorting through feedback. I see two traps we can fall into with how we view positive remarks.

1. Cling to the praise too tightly. When we get feedback we usually evaluate the negative comments before we decide what we should change. When one person tells us our opening is flat, we may not rush to change it, especially if they’re a non-writer. But if a number of qualified people tell us the same thing, we give their feedback more weight.

If we give careful consideration to negative comments, shouldn’t we weigh the positives too? Aren’t they equally subjective? Perhaps we’ve received praise for a book idea, writing style, or the first chapter of our manuscript. But have numerous people given us the same kind of praise? And were those people knowledgeable of industry standards?

2. Toss aside the praise too easily. This happens to be my problem. When someone compliments me, I think, “They’re just being nice” or “Sure, but what do they really think?” or “I bet they say that to everyone.”

In some ways, this is a defense mechanism, a way of protecting ourselves from being hurt. We long for the affirmation and deep inside need it, but if we keep the praise at arm’s length, then when we get a negative comment, we think we won’t be so devastated. We tell ourselves, “See, I wasn’t really that good after all.”

The Criticism:

Although we crave validation in our writing, we need the constructive criticism just as much, if not more. But again, I see two traps we can fall into with the negative feedback.

1. Allow the criticism to pull us down too far. I’ve seen plenty of writers get a rejection or two from agents or editors and then stop querying. One agent who rejected The Preacher’s Bride (releasing in the fall) took the time to write me a personal note about what he didn’t like. While I gave his ideas some thought, I didn’t let it stop me.

The same thing happens when we get feedback from a critique group or editor. It’s easy to fall into the “I’m a terrible writer and when will I ever be able to write anything besides crap” trap. Partly, we need to develop thicker skins and partly we need to let the feedback light a fire inside us—the determination to learn more about the craft and the drive to keep writing and improving.

2. Brush aside the criticism too quickly. The danger some of us face is thinking we can write whatever we want, however we want. After all, we’re artists, and we can’t possibly control the muse without compromising creativity, right?

Wrong. If the muse is seeking publication, then it has to bend the knee to the reader. We can blame the publishing houses for being too picky, but ultimately they’re bound by the same master—the reader. Ultimately, if we’re serious about traditional publication, then we have to be open to change, especially changes that will appeal to our readers.

Summary: I've come to realize that when I have an overload of either praise or criticism, I grow too self-absorbed and my writing suffers. I swing either too high or too low. The trick is learning to accept both, absorb what I can, then shrug it off and get back to my writing.

In other words, while we look to others for feedback, we should never let their comments define who we are. We are writers. And we should continue to write with confidence and joy the stories that are in our hearts and souls.

Where are you on the seesaw of praise and criticism? Do you cling to praise or toss it aside? And how do you handle criticism—do you brush it off or let it weigh you down?

*Part 2 in the series Writer Emotions: Praise & Criticism

How Personal & Vulnerable are You in Your Writing?

Are writers exposing too much personal information on blogs, twitter, and facebook? In this cyber information age, where are the personal boundaries and how much is too much?

Last week, literary agent Nathan Bransford had a post that addressed this issue. How much does the modern author have to share on the Internet to gain an audience? Is there a way to balance Internet presence with privacy?

I thought it was an interesting but ironic question. On the one hand, I do agree that many of us are sharing much more personal information than was ever possible in the past. On twitter I can see that my favorite author ate ten hot dogs for dinner then later went out and walked Pooky the poodle in the pouring rain.

Many authors are using social-networking to promote themselves and their books. And of course such networking easily lends itself to quick bursts of information about what we’re doing, eating, or thinking that often go beyond the bounds of our writing.

But writers aren’t the only ones divulging personal information. Everyone is. The deluge is a product of the new era of cyber communication. So, perhaps the question shouldn’t be are writers exposing too much, but is the population in general crossing too many personal boundaries?

What I find ironic about the privacy question, however, is that regardless of how much of ourselves we expose in cyberland, by nature as writers we’re already pouring out our deepest, most intimate thoughts into our writing. In other words, our books disclose much more about us than we share in short bursts on Twitter and Facebook, or even on our blogs.

When we write, whether fiction or non, we open ourselves up and spill out our most intimate thoughts on paper. The creation of our stories, the essence of our characters, the heart and soul of our words—we bare it all. We expose ourselves to the world.

Writing IS personal. Even if we try to hold back the true details of our real lives, our books usually reveal a great deal about us, particularly our passion. I would go so far as to say, writers who don’t infuse the very depths of who they are into their writing often produce flat, lifeless stories.

And because writing is personal, writers have to be vulnerable. When I visited my publishing house a couple of weeks ago, a number of staff told me they’d read my book. I had a weird feeling, like they’d gotten a glimpse into the inner workings of who I really was. What did they think? Did they like what they saw?

I experienced a new kind of vulnerability because I’d exposed myself through my writing to my publishing house. And in a few months when my book is out, I’ll really be going public. For better or worse, the whole world gets to take a peek into my inner world. If that’s not personal, I don’t know what is.

Yes, it’s a scary feeling. Anytime we’re vulnerable we risk hurt, rejection, and misunderstanding. But think of what we sacrifice if we’re not vulnerable: the true joy that comes from getting beyond the surface and relating on a real and deep level.

What do you think? Do you set personal boundaries for what you share on the internet? And do you think a writer can ever truly remain private?

*Part 1 in the series Writer Emotions: Vulnerability

How Important is an Author Brand?

I've always struggled to come up with a catchy phrase that describes my writing. I've seen such creative ones around cyberspace, like: "Seatbelt Suspense" or "Passion With Purpose" or "Touching Hearts. . .Changing Lives."

Authors often use these tag lines at the bottom of emails, on websites, blogs, or business cards. And the saying usually sums up what they write, their style, their voice, or the uniqueness they bring to their genre. This is typically what we refer to as an author brand.

Since I was having trouble figuring out my brand, I decided to get the expert opinion. When I met with Bethany House Marketing, one of the first questions I asked them was this: How did they describe my writing? What did they think was my author brand?

Maybe they'd have a catchy phrase I could start using on all my correspondences, something I could splash across my website to coordinate with my background and theme.

And what was the answer of this talented team of marketing gurus? The summary of our discussion was this: Don't worry about a brand yet.

Here's why. In their many years of working with authors, what they've experienced is that the author's name becomes their brand and that usually doesn't happen until after at least 2 to 3 books are published.

In other words, when readers buy our books and loose themselves within the pages, then they will come back for another book, and hopefully another. Our writing appeals to them and they attach a favorable reading experience with our name. Thus our name begins to sell our books and that becomes our brand.

I'm sure we can all think of authors whose books we buy every time they have a new release. Do we buy the books because of the author's catchy saying? Do any of our favorite authors even have a special little summary sentence that we remember?

Most likely we're drawn to those authors because of our past experience with one or more of their books. We've found someone whose writing appeals to us, someone we trust will tell a great story. They don't have to hook us with the first page anymore or with a stunning cover. We're sold on their name alone.

Some famous authors don't even need a description of the book on the back cover. Instead the publisher plasters a big picture of the author there. Why? Because the author is the brand.

So, should unpublished or fairly new authors worry about coming up with a brand? Should we spend time and energy crafting the perfect summary of who we are?

While I'm still forming my opinion on the whole matter and trying to decide what really works in this modern age of technology and cyber networking, I feel a freedom now to relax about the issue. I don't have to figure it ALL out right now. It's okay to let time and ultimately readers define my writing.

Maybe some writers can truly sum up their writing with a short statement. Maybe their self-made brand will indeed match reader expectations. But we also need to be careful we don't let those catchy phrases put us in a box of our own making. Maybe someday we won't want to define ourselves that way anymore and we'll have trouble breaking out of the box.

What do you think? Have you ever tried to come up with a catchy phrase to describe your writing? In today's competitive market, do you think new authors should try to brand themselves in order to stand out? Or do you think they should wait and let the reader do it?

Marketing Woes. What's an Author Really Suppose to do?

I admit. I'm the first to copy a good idea when I see one--or at least think I should copy it. When a few blogging friends were making book trailers, I was sure I needed one. And when others have done vlogs or podcasts, I began to wonder if I should too.

It's easy to compare our efforts with what others are doing and measure up short, isn't it? We don't want to be left behind in the competitive race to make ourselves and our books stand apart from others, so we keep adding tasks to our marketing endeavors.

That brings us back to the questions we raised in the last post: What really works? What should we do before publication? Where should we focus our limited energy and time?

First, platform-building is more important for non-fiction than for fiction. We'll usually buy a parenting book, personal growth book, or whatever, from someone we already like, versus someone we don't know.

Second, we need to have an idea of what type of publishing house we're targeting. For non-fiction and fiction alike, the type of publishing house makes a huge difference in what's expected of us.

If we're self-publishing or going with a smaller press, then the burden of most, if not all, the marketing will fall upon us. We will have to look for every gizmo and gadget that can help push our names and books into the far reaches of the public eye. We may have to work just as hard at selling our book as we did at writing it, if not harder. We have to be prepared to use every possible avenue for marketing, and the more the better.

Because of the extreme marketing efforts required for self-publishing or small press, we hear about it, we see our friends' hard work, and we often begin to think this hype is the industry norm. Those of us pursuing traditional publication get ourselves worked up with the marketing frenzy. We rush around and try to do what everyone else is doing, getting frazzled in the process.

But, what is truly necessary for those pursuing traditional publication with bigger houses? What will the marketing department do? And what is the author's responsibility?

When I sat down with the Bethany House Marketing Team, I quickly realized I'd bought into the hype, into believing that marketing my book was mostly my responsibility. After only a few minutes of talking with the Team, they straightened out my misconception.

They will have much more influence than I ever could. Their sales team will get the book into big bookstores, big box stores, and to distributors. Their publicity already has established connections with pertinent magazines and media. Their publishing house name and reputation will take my book far beyond the reaches that I, as a no-name author, ever could.

In other words, anything that I can do to help generate sales on my book will be insignificant compared to what they are capable of doing together as a marketing and sales department. Now, does that mean I don't have to do anything? That I can sit back and kick up my feet?

Absolutely not. As we said in the last post, writers must participate in the marketing process. It's just good business to do whatever we can to help boost our sales. But I don't have to do everything. I don't even have to do most things.

What Bethany House marketing encouraged us to do was focus on what we like and what we're good at. For me, that's this blog. For one of the other debut authors that means putting energy into her website. She doesn't need to start a blog--it's not something she's interested in or wants to devote energy to. For others that might mean public speaking, teaching courses, making local connections.

The bottom line is this: If we're heading toward traditional publication with bigger houses, we need to take the pressure off ourselves to do everything, to stop worrying about having to copy what every other writer is doing. Instead we need to find our unique marketing strengths and cultivate them. That's where we'll truly shine.

Have you gotten sucked into the trap of trying to do everything or in copying what others are doing? What are your strengths and what are you doing to cultivate them?

The Number One Marketing Strategy For Writers

Everywhere we turn we find advice about what we should do to market ourselves and our books. Some of it's confusing, even contradictory.

One agent might say, "Every writer serious about publication should have a blog." Perhaps another says, "If blogging's not your thing, then don't worry about it."

Book trailers, branding, websites, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, twitter, facebook, linked-in. . . the list keeps getting longer. And we keep getting more and more overwhelmed.

What really works? What should we do before publication? Where should we focus our limited energy and time?

These are the questions I've mulled over for some time now. And so, when I sat down with the Bethany House Marketing Team during my recent trip, I was very interested in getting their perspective on what an unpublished author like myself should do to help in the process of promoting myself and my book.

In other words, if we're unpublished but looking to begin building a name for ourselves and our future books, what should we do?

Of course we all want to help in the marketing process. None of us are under the illusion "good" books automatically generate their own sales. We're competing with millions of other "good" books along with the ever-growing electronic industry which threatens to pull readers from books altogether.

Therefore, it goes without saying we must be active participants in our own marketing. We can't afford to sit back, twiddle our thumbs, and hope our books sell. If we want to give them the best shot at succeeding, especially after investing so much of ourselves into them, we have to be willing to do whatever is necessary.

The problem, however, is that we often jump head first into the marketing frenzy. We try to do it all--keep up with our writing projects, blog, twitter, facebook, make a book trailer, update a website, etc. It doesn't take long before we find ourselves sinking in the murky marketing waters--overwhelmed, confused, tired, disillusioned, and ready to head back to the safety of shore.

Many of us are crying out, "Help! I'm drowning! Just tell me what I REALLY need to do to have a successful writing career. What's absolutely necessary? What will help my marketing efforts THE most?"

In the next post, I'll attempt to answer these questions. But for today, I want to end on an encouraging note, something Bethany House Marketing reiterated to me: Make sure our primary focus always remains on writing great books.

If we're not keeping our writing THE priority, then maybe it's okay to doggy-paddle back to shore, drag ourselves out of the marketing frenzy, and give ourselves a break. Perhaps for a time we need to focus only on writing and editing, without all of the distractions and pressures of blogging, facebook, twitter, etc.

I admire some blogging friends who've done this very thing. They've either stopped blogging or cut back in order to make their writing more of a priority. It takes courage to pull out of the waters, dry off, and rest from the sidelines. I'm sure when they wade back in, their writing will be better because of the break.

I personally didn't enter cyberland until my writing was ready for querying. I stayed on the shore and watched for quite a while. I protected my writing time, honed my skills, and learned self-discipline. When I finally took the plunge, I knew I was ready for the next phase of my writing career.

The number one marketing strategy is writing a book that can captivate the hearts of readers. Without that, we won't get too far, even if we do everything else right.

Have you ever been overwhelmed and confused by all of the demands placed upon writers today? How do you keep from sinking? And how do you keep your writing a priority?

The Risks of Taking On Debut Authors

In today's market, we often complain about the difficulty of getting noticed by traditional publishing houses. We lament that they're no longer open to unagented submissions, and we wonder why certain books get so much attention, when we're sure our writing is just as good if not better.

After my visit to my publishing house last week, I'm convinced every writer needs the opportunity to see exactly how much time, money, and effort a publishing house invests into each of their authors.

The biggest lesson I learned from my visit is this: When a publishing house takes on a debut author, they're making a BIG investment and taking a HUGE risk. And because of that, they have to be incredibly careful about what projects they choose.

I haven't made any money for my publishing house yet, and not only have they paid me an advance, they've also already invested in my book in numerous ways through edits, marketing, and the book cover.

The investment in editing: Approximately five editors read my book initially and had a meeting to compare notes on what I needed to change. Imagine how many combined hours this initial process involved.

My two editors have read through both of my rewrites, and now one of them must read through my entire book again, scrutinizing every paragraph and line. After she's done, then the book will go through a copy edit.

Remember, The Preachers' Bride is a full length novel, 100,000 words. It's not a quick read. And yet, they're giving my debut book the same effort they do for their established authors.

The investment in marketing: Bethany House has a month-by-month marketing count-down in their efforts to prepare for the release of a book. They provide a binder that outlines what the author is responsible for doing and what the marketing department will be working on.

Each member of the marketing team has a specialized role, including fiction manager, publicist, internet marketing, and copy writer. They've already begun to collect data from me, did a podcast interview during my visit, and will have additional meetings during the upcoming months to begin implementing all the various strategies for marketing my book.

Some of them have read my book in order to have a better idea how to help me. So, once again, think of all they're investing in me upfront.

The investment in the book cover: The Bethany House art department is on the cutting edge of historical romance, known throughout CBA for their stunning and trend-setting book covers. They're an incredibly talented team of artists who work hard to be innovative.

I was amazed at the amount of money, time, and effort that have already gone into the cover of The Preacher's Bride, everything from hiring a model, having a photo shoot, to researching English countryside settings. (More in a future post.)

As you can see, Bethany House Publishers is investing in my book in many, many ways, even though they haven't made any money from me. Of course, they'll work hard to recap their investment. But they have absolutely no guarantee they'll gain it all back.

With everything I saw and learned from this trip, I finally realized why a publishing house must be SO careful about taking on a no-name, debut author who doesn't have an established readership base. They're taking a chance on us and hope we do well. But who can afford to gamble often?

We may complain about how difficult it is for new authors to have a shot at traditional publication, but I hope the glimpse at my experience will give us all a new awareness of the risk publishing houses take with debut authors. May it spur us to write the best possible books so that we can give them something truly worthy of their investment.

Were you aware of how much time, effort, and money went into the pre-publication aspect of a book? Do you think publishing houses are justified in being so careful about debut authors? Or do you think they need to take more risks?

Getting Impatient and Considering Self-Publishing or a Small Press? Read This First.

Last year at this time, I was unagented, unpublished, and trying to decide whether my skill level was ready for writing contests. Now a year later, I'm exchanging emails with all the publishing people we writers hold in such awe: editors, marketing staff, publicists, and other office personnel.

Every time a Bethany House address shows up in my inbox, my heart skips, and I think, "Wow, I can't believe little ol' me is talking to someone important at a publishing house."

As you know, last week I had the privilege of traveling to Minneapolis and meeting the Bethany House staff. After years of waiting and wishing to be a published author, it's hard to shed the feeling that I'm a nobody writer.

But when I walked into the beautiful facility, I immediately had the sense they'd rolled out the red carpet for me. They were as pleased to have me visit as I was to be there. Many of them had read my book, were investing time and energy into it, and now were getting to find out exactly who they were helping.

When they welcomed me, I felt like I was joining a big family. I wasn't the lone writer on the fringe looking in on all those big, scary, important people. Instead I was one of them, apart of something much bigger than myself.

The trip got me thinking, however, about self-publishing or small-presses, where the burden of the book falls primarily on the author. If someone is considering self-publishing or going with a smaller press, here are a few things a writer might sacrifice:

Support: The entire staff at Bethany House is working with me, wanting my book to succeed just as much as I do. They're willing to do whatever it takes, because when one member of the family succeeds, then everyone benefits. They are in regular communication with me about everything and have encouraged me to email them whenever I need help or have a question.

Consensus: At Bethany House most decisions are made in a committee. Everything from whether to take on a book and what rewrites the book will need, to the title and cover. The input from so many workers helps ensure objectivity. When a group of qualified professionals discusses every pro and con, I can rest assured they've come up with the best possible suggestions.

Quality: With so many people handling and reading my manuscript, they are pursuing excellence not only in my manuscript itself, but in every other aspect as well. The creative team is paying attention to each detail of the cover, the copy-specialist is crafting the perfect blurbs to go on the book, and the marketing team is analyzing every possible marketing opportunity.

Sales: During my meeting with marketing, I learned that I should do all that I can to help promote my book, particularly the things I enjoy. But ultimately anything I do is really a drop in the bucket compared with what their sales and marketing team will be able to do to help generate sales on my book.

Obviously not everyone needs or wants a big traditional publishing house. But I think all too often writers turn to self-publishing or smaller presses, because we get tired of waiting. Such options might help us get our books "out there" much quicker than if we hold out for a traditional house to notice us. But what will we sacrifice in the process? Look at all I would have given up if I'd grown impatient.

The rooms and halls of Bethany House are decorated with enormous pictures of book covers. Some were from books I'd read when I was a teenager and others from more recent novels. They graced the walls much the same way portraits of family members hang in our homes.

It doesn't really matter whether my book cover ever makes it to a wall at Bethany House. What's most important is having the opportunity to be a contributing member of a supportive publishing family, and that together we're working to make my book the best it can be.

How about you? Do you ever get tired of the wait? Have you thought about making a go at publishing alone? Or are you holding out for traditional publication?

Details of My Trip to My Publishing House

Have you ever wondered what really goes on inside a publishing house? Who works there and what do they do all day?

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis and visit my publishing house, Bethany House Publishers. I went with my agent and two other debut authors to tour BHP's facility, meet the staff, and get a first-hand glimpse of the inner workings of publishing.

Let me just start by saying--WOW!! It was a dream come true! I won't ever be able to do justice to the experience in this blog--it was more exciting and nerve-wracking than I'll ever be able to express. But it is my hope to share just a bit of what I experienced and learned.

Of course in the days leading up to the trip, I fretted over the usual things like: What should I wear? How much deodorant should I pack? And did I need to make a mad dash to my stylist for a color and cut? (Yes, I really did stand under the kitchen light and ask my daughters if they could spot any grays.)

A week before the trip, I nearly had a heart-attack when my acquisitions editor emailed me to ask if I really meant to fly in at 11:30 pm. Only then did I realize when I'd purchased my ticket, I'd clicked on an identical night time flight, instead of the morning one I'd intended! Several phone calls and a few bucks later, I was back on track for my mid-day arrival.

When I landed in Minneapolis, my line-editor and the head of marketing picked me up and took me out to lunch. I can honestly say that was one of the highlights of my trip--having the opportunity to get to know those two ladies on a personal level.

After lunch, they helped me get checked into my motel, and then we headed over to the Bethany House office building. The sign in the picture above welcomed me as I entered. I couldn't have asked for a better greeting!

My first meeting of the day was with the ENTIRE marketing department. Picture me, trembling and sweating and seated at a long conference table with at least eight other people. And of course we were all there to talk about ME and my book. I can't even begin to relate how much I learned from the meeting, but I will try in future posts.

I had several more meetings over the course of the two days. I was able to chat with my editors about The Preacher's Bride and my most recent rewrite, along with the progress I'm making on my next contracted novel. They provided some valuable insights on a couple potential trouble areas.

I also met with the director of the creative department. He explained the process of developing book covers, introduced me to the talented woman working on my cover, and gave me a sneak peek at the ideas they've developed so far.

I did a podcast interview, spoke at a potluck in front of 40-50 staff members, chatted with many of them, hung out with my agent and the other authors, and so much more! But enough for today!

So what do you think of commercial flights these days? Pack of 10 peanuts or a bag of 3 mini pretzels? And tomato juice? Com'on! Who drinks tomato juice on a flight? And has anyone else ever had to sprint through O'Hare with ten minutes to catch a connecting flight? Can you explain to me why they don't have more moving sidewalks?

Oh, one more thing. Does anyone sit in an airport without talking on a cell phone anymore? I thought it was absolutely hilarious that the only people not talking on cell phones were the ones who were texting. *wink*

On a more serious note, I'd like to thank everyone at Bethany House for making my trip such an incredible experience. (Thanks guys! Now that I know you peek at my blog from time to time!)